Let’s Talk Band T-Shirts

I have a really bad habit of collecting band t-shirts. My wardrobe is 90% band t-shirts and I love every single one. I have like 3 different David Bowie shirts. I also recently got a Red Hot Chili Peppers top which I like very much. And that’s the point we actually buy band shirts right? To pay tribute to the people who make our lives better. To define ourselves by our music taste, possibly a good conversation starter with someone who appreciates the same idol/band.

Clothes stores in Britain like Primark and Topshop (plus many more) have included band shirts in their fashion range. Which is great for music fans because now you don’t have to search far and wide for them. They’ve included popular bands like KISS, Pink Floyd, AC/DC and many more. The shirt I’m gonna use for this article though, is the beloved Nirvana. Now Nirvana was a massive band leading the grunge movement during the early 90’s. Their biggest smash hit being ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.

So Nirvana fans rejoiced as now we can purchase something that means a lot to us. But at the same time we get the false fans, and I think we all know what I’m talking about. My friend came into college wearing a Nirvana shirt and I was quite excited because I had no idea she liked them too, turns out she knew no songs by them at all…nor even heard of them or Kurt Cobain at all. People just seem to buy them to seem cool or different. Possibly trying to rock an indie vibe. The exact same thing happened with someone wearing a KISS shirt the next day.

I gotta say in my opinion that it’s really not that cool or different at all. It’s just disappointing. You wouldn’t go to a concert with a band you’ve never listened too right? So why are you buying the band’s shirt? Even I struggle to decide when deciding to buy band shirts. I like Guns ‘N’ Roses, but I don’t know if I’m ready to buy a shirt, I wonder am I a big enough fan to represent them like that? Hey, maybe I’m overthinking it. But the amount of respect people have for musicians and bands is legendary, I’d find it kinda insulting if I was in a band and someone just wore my band’s shirt because it makes them look cool or different.

I guess at the end of the day, you wear whatever you damn well please. That’s a good attitude to have. But please, PLEASE don’t pretend to be a huge mega fan of someone when you don’t know who they are, or just know that one hit they did that one time. It devalues music for what it is, I think that’s why it annoys me so much.